


Breaking the Mask

by Hetsez



Category: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: Anal Sex, Blackbeard tries to help, Drama, Fic trade event, Humour, I promise the story is better than the summary, It's all a mess, M/M, Mute is a dirty fucker, Mute too, Oral Sex, Sexual Tension, Sledge and Smoke are fuck buddies, arrogant Mute, dom Mute, for Lecielazure, jealous Mute, love struck Vigil, obedient Vigil, sorry I got carried away, sorry the summary sucks, sub Vigil, tight jeans and leather
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-10 11:37:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15290700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hetsez/pseuds/Hetsez
Summary: Vigil confesses to Mute. It doesn't go as he hoped.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lecielazure](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lecielazure/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fic trade (hosted by our very own Grunkle) for the awesome Lecielazure! I was asked to write Mute/Vigil, a ship I had only considered before but now it's become real... And man, did I get carried away. So, please enjoy this miniseries I did on the lovely pair! c: 
> 
> Written with the help of my good friend Betti c:

The words flew right over his head. Entered his ear on one side, left his head via his other ear. The explanation never reached his brains. It wasn't like he was bored, it wasn't even like he didn't care either. He just couldn't concentrate. He was distracted. He wasn't listening. 

He was staring. 

At this guy's hands, demonstrating what he was explaining. At his keen eyes, focused on the subject. At his full lips, ranting on and moving so beautifully. At his soft skin, though scarred as it was despite his young age. At his dark, messy hair that looked soft to the touch. 

Vigil knew he was screwed, crushing on one of the only guys in this base that bothered to talk to him. 

Their devices lay on the desk in front of them. Two jammers. They were in the workshop, where they occasionally worked together. Mute was just explaining some upgrade he had been working on for weeks, one that would expand the range of his jammer. He was nearly done with his explanation, but Vigil still didn't know how it worked. He only caught parts of the explanation, and for the rest of the time he just stared at Mute's fingers and hands. He had a thing for them. The closeness of his body didn't help his concentration either. He could feel the steady heat radiating off Mute's body, and he wondered how warm he'd be to touch- In his darkest fantasies, he bet the quiet Brit was an animal in bed. 

The snapping of fingers got him out of his daydreaming with a start. 

“Oi, Vigil, are you even listening?” Mute said, obviously annoyed at the silent Korean next to him. 

Suppressing the blush spreading on his cheeks furiously, Vigil muttered a wordless apology. As usual, he wished he was wearing his mask to hide his face. But Mute didn’t appreciate when he did in their free time. Mute was annoyed with him. Mute was always annoyed with him. Because he barely spoke, because he was always so clumsy around him, because he never listened to him – even though he really wanted to, but he always got distracted. Vigil was simply so nervous around the Brit, he kept behaving like a fool while he made feeble attempts to impress the younger guy. 

When Vigil had joined team Rainbow, he had stared at Mute from a distance for a long time before the Brit finally came over to him to discuss jammers. From then on they had been hanging out together in the workshop. Vigil hadn’t said more than five words to Mute over that time, while Mute had been trying to pull him out of his shell. In vain. 

Mute was a smart guy. He was easily the smartest of the base, despite being the youngest. Vigil was simply fascinated by him. And he knew that was wrong. When he was a child, it had been imprinted into him. Homosexuality is sinful. However, he had escaped all that. He had been granted freedom in a country that wasn't his own, slowly finding out that all the rules that had been imposed on him in the past didn’t exist here. Even more so here, in the United Kingdom, where people were truly free. He knew for a fact that some of the other operators were in same-sex relationships. 

But his freedom had come at a price. He had built walls around him, was fearful to trust others, kept to himself. But for Mute, he would change. He was willing to change. If only Mute would finally see he was madly in love with him. 

Which would never happen. 

“Why don’t you ever listen mate? You just sit here staring into space. Are you on drugs or something?” 

Vigil immediately shook his head violently. Oh no, Mute couldn’t think he was on drugs, that’d be bad for his reputation. 

Of course he was high, in some way. High on Mute. 

“Right, well, I’m off.” Mute said as he moodily started to pack his things. Vigil’s shoulders slumped. It was always like this. Mute would try to work together and explain something to him, and Vigil would fuck it up by not paying attention. He mentally kicked himself. Why was he like this around Mute? He wasn’t exactly winning the Brit for him. Mute got up. “See you around, Vigil.” He said softly. 

Vigil nodded and Mute left. He just let him go. Why did he let him go? Shouldn't he go after him? But that wasn't Vigil. Vigil was quiet and preferred to keep himself in the background. To get up and shout for Mute to come back because he loved him wouldn't really be him. Fuck. Vigil sighed. 

When he was alone, Vigil dropped his head on his desk with a thud. _Why are you like this? Why are you like this? Why are you like this?_

He sighed again. He wanted Mute to know he liked him, but by the way he behaved, Mute probably thought he hated him. Vigil wanted to just sink into the ground and disappear. This was hell. And the worst thing was, he had created it himself. He wanted Mute to acknowledge him so much, but he was only driving him away from him like this. Fuck. 

After lying on the table for an eternity, beating himself up mentally for being so untactful in the love field, Vigil had enough. Sighing once more, he figured he might as well get up and leave. Mute wasn’t going to come back. 

As he shuffled out of the door of the workshop, he looked around shyly before he was going to head back to his quarters. He stopped however, when he noticed Mute talking to Blackbeard down the corridor. They were talking in hushed voices. Mute stood leaning against the wall, his arms folded and his face more annoyed than Vigil had seen it before. Blackbeard looked like he was apologising, waving his arms around a lot and a friendly smile on his face. As usual, he was wearing his flip flops and walked around in his MTP camo boxers, obviously just having had a shower. The man was always hot. But his rather comical appearance didn’t help much to soothe Mute’s mood. 

“You fucking go talk to him, I’m done.” Mute suddenly snapped, loud enough for Vigil to hear. The Korean operator immediately knew they were talking about him. Could this day get any worse? 

Of course it could. 

Vigil was ready to turn on his heels and race off. He felt so ashamed, he would probably never talk to Mute again. But as soon as Mute shut his mouth, both men seemed to notice Vigil standing there, hand still on the door handle of the workshop. They looked at him, Mute’s face thunderous and Blackbeard’s shocked. Vigil wished a comet would hit them right then and there, so this public torture could be over. 

Mute looked at him, anger and disappointment clear in his face, and it broke Vigils heart. Without another word, he turned around and strode off. Vigil and Blackbeard watched him go before the latter came over to Vigil, who still stood frozen in place. 

_Flip flop. Flip flop._

All that was missing, was Blackbeard’s cereal bowl, Vigil thought as he tried to cheer himself up. The American was a good man, though. Vigil and he had been on friendly terms for a long time, since before team Rainbow. 

“What have you done now, Vigil? Pissing off Mute?” Blackbeard said, face friendly. 

“I didn’t mean to…” Vigil muttered, shrugging. 

Blackbeard laughed and pointed at the closed door of the workshop. “Anyone in there? We could talk, if you want.” 

Vigil wasn't sure what to do. They weren't on _that_ friendly terms. But Blackbeard had already ushered him inside before he could protest. He sat him down, like a father would sit down with his son to have a heartfelt talk. Vigil was already blushing faintly before they even started. He hated being in the centre of attention, even if it was only with one person. 

“So, what’s up?” Blackbeard started. When Vigil remained silent, staring at the chipped wood of the desk they were sitting at, Blackbeard figured he’d have to ask more direct questions. “Okay then, why do you hate Mute?” He knew Vigil didn’t hate Mute. But this was the best way to get the silent Korean to speak up. And his predictions were true. 

“I don’t!” Vigil suddenly blurted out, louder than Blackbeard had ever heard him talk. Vigil could only just keep himself from slamming his hand to his mouth. The smile spreading on Blackbeard’s lips told him that the American knew more than he thought. “Am I that obvious?” He then asked quietly. 

“You like him, don’t you?” Blackbeard asked softly. 

Admitting to that openly was harder for Vigil than you can imagine. His mouth was dry and his tongue felt dead. Having feelings in the first place was a new thing to him. He had tried to cope with it over the past weeks, but having to talk about them with someone else was too awkward for him. After several minutes spent in denial and trying to speak, Vigil nodded curtly. 

Blackbeard chuckled as he looked at Vigil's worried face. "It's okay, Chul Kyung." The American saw the little smile playing on his thin lips as he said the Korean name, so strange to his tongue. "But you are annoying him to no limit and he isn't exactly taking kindly to that." 

"I know..." Vigil mumbled. "I'm just so nervous around him..." 

Nodding, Blackbeard placed a hand on his shoulder. "I understand. But how about you just confess to him?" When Vigil looked at him as if he had just declared the Third World War, Blackbeard hastily continued: "You'd feel a lot better, I promise. If you confessed, you would know Mute's reaction, and your feelings wouldn't be so pent up. It'd be a great relief, I tell ya." 

That was the stupidest idea Vigil had ever heard. Bandit's idea of holding a ladder while Kapkan climbed it when their basketball had gotten stuck, hadn't even been _that_ stupid, now Vigil thought of it. No, this was the worst idea ever. He couldn't just walk up to Mute like that, that was absurd. Completely insane. "But... I can't... Just...?" Vigil stuttered, obviously panicking because of his friend's advice. 

"What's the worst that can happen? It's not like you will die from confessing." Blackbeard laughed. "Worst case scenario is you get rejected, but at least you tried." 

"I'll make myself look like a fool..." Vigil said bitterly. 

"No offense, but aren't you doing that right now either? I know you, Chul Kyung, you're extremely talented. But every time Mute is involved, you become a drooling baby." 

"I don’t...!" Vigil started, but he immediately shut his mouth. He knew Blackbeard was right. He did make a huge fool of himself every time Mute was around. But he couldn't just go up to Mute and tell him he loves him, right? That's crazy. Vigil sighed. He had gotten himself in a right mess. "So I should confess to him... Just like that?" 

Blackbeard chuckled. "Exactly. Just try. What is there to lose?" 

 

\-- 

Several days had passed in which Mute had been avoiding Vigil, and with every day Vigil grew more anxious about facing the Brit. Blackbeard had been asking frequently if he had confessed yet, making Vigil feel even more nervous about the whole ordeal. It wasn't really improving Vigil's anxiety at all. He found he was thinking about confessing, and the best way to confess, every minute of the day. But if Mute avoided him all the time, how could he even begin to try? 

Anyway, Vigil knew he had to at least somehow apologise to Mute for behaving so stupidly. He felt he had probably offended the Brit, and he hadn't meant to. He really wanted to work in the workshop again with him, and this time he would try to listen. After apologising, of course. Whether he would tell him the reason for being so distracted, he'd rather not think about yet. 

After a few more days, Vigil basically gave up looking for the Brit. He figured if Mute was still angry and didn't want to see him, he shouldn't force himself on him either. As Blackbeard had said that morning, he would come around. Then they could talk. And Vigil could admit his feelings for him. Or not. He wasn't sure yet. 

And so Vigil headed over to the workshop to tinker for a while before dinner. But just as he had calmed his thoughts and reigned in his feelings, he met the one person that made him feel insane over the past few days. 

Mute was in the workshop when Vigil entered. He looked up to see who had entered, immediately frowning as his hazel eyes landed on Vigil's figure. There was no one else in the workshop, so Mute immediately started packing his stuff. He was up and storming towards the door in the blink of an eye. 

Vigil knew now was his chance, and he knew he shouldn't let that chance slip away. 

"No, Mute, wait." Vigil spoke, louder than he usually did. Everything to get Mute to listen to him. And he did. Mute halted in the doorway, rolling his eyes and sighing before he looked at Vigil expectantly. He leaned against the doorway, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

"What." 

This is it. 

Vigil forced himself to look up at him, taller as the Brit was, and he clenched his fists while he got ready to speak. He hadn't often talked to Mute, even though Mute had talked to him every now and then. He was so nervous, so extremely nervous. His hands were sweaty and he tried to control the trembling of his body. He had never looked at Mute while the Brit looked back at him, he suddenly realised. He immediately knew why: he was getting lost in those deep eyes already. He had to keep his head in the present if he wasn't going to fuck this up. 

"I'm sorry if it seems like I'm not listening to you..." Vigil then blurted out, only to be interrupted by Mute raising his eyebrows and scoffing: 

"Seems like?" 

"Yeah... Uh, I... I can explain..." Vigil said, scratching his head nervously. Mute tilted his head to show he was interested, a gesture so cute that Vigil momentarily lost his head again. Was he really going to do this? Was he? He was. "So... I, uh... I'm- I'm in love..." 

That was the hardest thing he had ever had to say. His tongue was twisting in his mouth, his lips and jaws were tense and he couldn't move them properly. He hadn't actually finished the sentence, but he figured Mute would understand. He couldn't utter another sound anyway, so he had to understand. Understand why the fool behaved that way. 

He hoped Mute would have mercy on him and wouldn't coldly reject him. It had taken a lot of confidence to come to this confession, he'd suffocate if Mute immediately turned him down. 

Mute looked like he was thinking hard. The frown, the mocking, annoyed expression was gone. He looked Vigil up and down once – which made the Korean man painfully aware of his vulnerable position. Then Mute started nodding slowly. Vigil patiently waited to be turned down. 

"You're in love?" Mute asked plainly. 

A nod. 

"So much that you can't concentrate?" 

Another nod. Mute nodded too, still thinking before he asked: 

"But does he know?" 

A- Wait what? 

"What?" Vigil asked, blinking stupidly. 

"Well, Blackbeard of course. Have you told him you love him?" 

"What? No, I haven't, I-" 

"You're nervous?" 

"Well, yeah, but it's not-" 

"That's okay, Vigil. You don't have to be ashamed." Mute's face turned soft and he smiled, a rare sight but a pleasant one nonetheless. 

"But-" 

"Listen, Vigil, I'll help you, okay? If you want, of course?" 

"I..." Vigil didn't know what to say. What was happening? Did Mute think he was in love with Blackbeard now? A logical conclusion seeing as Vigil had no contact with any of the other operators, apart from himself and Dokkaebi, but a wrong one nonetheless. 

"It's okay," Mute said again before Vigil was done stuttering. "I'll help you, or you'll continue to get distracted while I talk to you." Laughing, he patted Vigil's shoulder gently. 

"But Mute, I don't-" Vigil hastily said, feeling increasingly awkward. 

"Don't worry, Vigil. I'll give you a hand, okay? There's nothing wrong with having feelings for your friend." 

"Uh, okay, but-" 

"Sorry man, I really gotta go now. But I'll help you as soon as possible, alright? Glad to have talked. See you later!" Mute said cheerfully, and within a second he was gone. Vigil stood alone at the door, his mouth still open as he hadn't been able to finish a single sentence. 

Mute didn't actually think he was in love with Blackbeard, right? God, this was a disaster... He had started this conversation wanting a boyfriend, but he had gotten a wingman instead. 

Not being fully able to grasp how this conversation had gone so wrong, Vigil left the workshop as well. Defeated and dumbfounded, he slowly shuffled down the corridor to his quarters, completely having forgotten that he wanted to work on his jammers. Was Mute really going to help him get together with Blackbeard now? How was he ever going to fix this? 

Vigil immediately threw his body down on his bed when he got to his bedroom. He rubbed his hands over his face, thinking this must all be a bad dream. He hadn't been rejected, but he hadn't been accepted either. What the fuck had gone wrong? He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket, and he lazily got the device out. 

A message from Blackbeard. 

What did he want now? 

Vigil read the message briefly, and sighed when he thought about what he should answer. He ended up typing a short reply, not wanting to talk about his mistake. He just wanted to go to sleep and wake up in the morning, and find out this had all been a bad dream. Vigil tossed his phone to the side and hid under his covers. God, what a failure. 

 

 _'Hey Vigil, just saw Mute and he didn't look like a rain cloud anymore! Even smiled at me. Did you tell him?'_

The message was followed by several grinning smileys and a thumbs up. 

_'No.'_

Had been Vigil's reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blackbeard walking around in his boxers and flip flops, eating cereal was inspired by this [art](http://betti357.tumblr.com/post/172514810808/okay-so-i-wanted-to-make-a-funny-pic-about) by Betti357 c:


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy c:

"Well, first of all, you're too quiet. I've said it many times, but really Vigil, you can't have a relationship where the both of you just sit in silence, right? Or where Blackbeard does the talking? Even for me, yesterday was our longest conversation ever." 

Mute was lecturing Vigil. The Brit paced around, telling him what to do and what he shouldn't do while Vigil sat still, listening shyly. They were outside in the woods around Hereford Base so that no one would hear their private conversation. Vigil was having mixed feelings. He felt ashamed that Mute thought he had a crush on his friend Blackbeard. He felt flustered about the fact that Mute was helping him with this, even though he was the one he wanted. And he felt nervous because he was alone in the woods with Mute. 

The Brit walked up and down in front of him while Vigil sat on the dirty floor. He watched how Mute moved, how his face was screwed up in concentration as he tried to give Vigil the best relationship advice. He took a naughty glimpse every time Mute turned his back towards him. God, why can't he just say this is all a misunderstanding and it's Mute himself he's in love with? 

Because he could still get turned down, of course. And that would be too painful. 

No, he was enjoying this attention too much, having Mute all to himself alone in the woods. No one there to disturb them, no SAS operator Mute could hang out with when Vigil got too boring for him. Vigil enjoyed being together; even though it wasn't in the sense that he had wanted. 

"God, you're crazy about him, aren't you? You're not listening again!" Mute exclaimed, suddenly kneeling down in front of Vigil. 

The Korean operator woke up from his daydreaming with a shock, pulling back slightly as Mute was a little closer than he was comfortable with – of course he wanted Mute close, but now wasn't the time. Not when Mute thought he was in love with Blackbeard. 

"I don't know Blackbeard well," Mute then said thoughtfully. "Tell me about him." 

"Oh, uh..." Vigil stammered. 

He looked into the friendly, unsuspecting face of Mute, wanting nothing more than to pull him closer and kiss him. If it was up to him, he wouldn't mind if the Brit would just take him against the nearest tree and be done with all this stupid talking. Vigil blushed at the thought, so wrong and sinful. But how wrong was it if he wanted it so badly? But instead Vigil just started talking about his friend. Sadly, the stupid blush only made Mute believe he was madly in love with Blackbeard more. 

"Blackbeard is, uh... A good mentor, he's just and, uh, someone you can trust..." Vigil started, not knowing what to say. Blackbeard was a good guy, the only operator in the base he fully trusted, but he didn't know the right words to describe him while Mute sat right there in front of him. 

"You even get nervous when you talk about him." Mute grinned. 

_No, I get nervous because you're in my personal space._ Vigil thought. 

"And do you like when he walks around the base in his boxers and flip flops, eating cereal?" Mute said, giving Vigil a cheeky wink. 

The wink was what made Vigil stutter, his cheeks heating up and his mouth opening and closing without any words coming out. Of course Mute thought his reaction was caused by what he had said, so he laughed and patted Vigil's arm playfully. 

"I won't tell anyone, I promise." Mute said with a grin. "Anyway, I think for now you should just try to talk to him more. Maybe think of some subjects before you go up to him. Then once you're comfortable talking to him, we'll talk about seducing him." Mute laughed. 

All Vigil could do, was just nod. He didn't want to talk to Blackbeard. He knew how to talk to Blackbeard. He wanted to talk to Mute. He didn't want to learn how to seduce Blackbeard. He wanted to seduce Mute. Why was this so hard? 

"M-maybe we could practise?" Vigil said before he could think. Oh god, what was he doing? He had never held a full conversation with Mute before. 

Mute thought for a second before he answered: "Yeah sure, give it a try." 

Vigil nervously looked around at the trees for a subject to appear, but he didn’t get any inspiration from it. He then looked at Mute, who was patiently waiting, and figured he should just play it casual if he wanted to make a good impression. Ask something he wanted to know about the Brit, maybe. 

“Are you together with someone at the moment?” He blurted out. Okay, that was too casual. Way too casual. 

Mute raised his eyebrows at the question, slightly taken aback. He regained composure quickly, though, and said: “A good question, Vigil, straight to the point. It would be a direct way of finding out whether Blackbeard is single or not. But I’m not sure if you should start a conversation with this.” Mute chuckled. 

Vigil blushed. He didn’t care if Blackbeard was single or not. He wanted to know if Mute was. “B-but we're practising.” Vigil retorted. He had to get the answer to his question. “So are you?” He asked shyly. 

The smile disappeared from Mute’s face, and he stared at Vigil in earnest. “Well, _I_ am not together with anyone... But I don't know what Blackbeard would answer, so maybe this is not the best way to practise?” 

Vigil nodded quickly, not minding that their conversation was over. He had the info he needed. And the info he wanted. Vigil stared at Mute as the latter got up and brushed the dirt off his clothes. 

He had a chance. 

“Anyway... Want to head back?” Mute asked, sounding slightly uncomfortable. Vigil didn’t notice. 

“Sure.” He said as he got up too, much more cheerful than when they had started walking off to the woods. Side by side they walked back in silence. Vigil would have to think of some subjects to talk about with Mute. Because who said he wasn’t going to use the advice? 

 

\-- 

"Any luck with Blackbeard so far?" Mute said as he joined Vigil in the workshop. There were a few other people in there, but they were making so much noise that the conversation between Vigil and his 'wingman' went completely unnoticed. 

Vigil looked up from his work to watch Mute sitting down next to him. It had been a week since Mute had given him the advice to talk more. But instead of talking to Blackbeard, he had tried to talk to Mute more. He'd taken the advice – think of some subjects and then talk – and had used it to get more comfortable talking to the Brit. It had worked partially, because Vigil was still nervous to be around the subject of his dreams and fantasies. 

"You have improved in talking to me." Mute said with a gentle smile when Vigil didn't immediately answer. 

Extremely happy to hear that Mute had noticed he had improved, Vigil nearly forgot to answer the initial question. "Yeah, I've been talking to him." He lied through his teeth. 

"Good, so how is he reacting?" Mute asked. 

Vigil shrugged. "Nothing different really." That bit was true. He sometimes talked to the American operator, but usually the subject of their conversations was Mute and since nothing had changed much, Blackbeard kept urging him on to confess. If only he knew what was really going on. 

"Hmm, then we need to get his attention..." Mute said as he put his hand to his chin and started to think. 

As usual, Vigil just stared at him, taking in his handsome features and wishing he could kiss him breathless. The Brit had such beautiful lips, Vigil often dreamed about tasting them... That, among other things... At first he felt ashamed of those dreams, but by now Vigil had sort of accepted his feelings. He could try and forget about Mute, but his thoughts never left him alone for longer than a few minutes. He was love struck. 

Mute then suddenly stared back, looking at Vigil with great interest. It startled the Korean man so much, he blushed and looked away, pretending to continue working on his disruptor. 

"Hey Vigil, you got any tight-fitting trousers?" Mute asked with a grin. 

That question coming from Mute drove his imagination wild for a second, before he remembered they were talking about what Blackbeard would like to see. Bummer. "No..." 

"You should get some, that'll get any man's attention on you. Maybe a leather jacket as well" Mute chuckled at Vigil's reddening face. 

Vigil was thinking feverishly. He didn't like being in the centre of attention. But was this advice genuinely for Blackbeard? Because how did Mute know Blackbeard would like tight jeans and leather? Didn't he just like them himself? Would this be a way to seduce Mute? Vigil started nodding slowly. He would get a pair. And a jacket. See how this would play out. Maybe he would get attention from the man he wanted rather than from his friend... 

“So do you think he’d like that?” Vigil asked innocently. 

“Well,” Mute chuckled, “You’d certainly get a stare or two. Blackbeard will love it.” He grinned again to reassure Vigil. 

“Okay then...” Vigil nodded. 

“And I think it’d be good to visit the gym more too. Show off a bit.” Mute added. “I’ll go with you, if you want. I think Blackbeard is down there often, or in the range.” 

“Okay.” Vigil immediately said. Usually he went to the gym at odd hours, when there weren’t many people in there so he could train in peace and quiet without having to worry about being social with others. But if Mute offered to work out with him, he’d go whenever. 

“Don’t worry, Vigil. We'll get Blackbeard wrapped around your finger.” Mute laughed. Vigil laughed along quietly. He loved Mute’s attention and devotion, but he was afraid of the moment Mute would make him confess to Blackbeard... Then this lie would fall apart, and Mute might be even angrier than he’d been before... 

 

\-- 

“Yo, nice Vigil.” 

Vigil froze in place, tray filled with his breakfast in his hands. He turned around to face the one who had spoken. No way. It couldn’t be true. Had _Bandit_ just acknowledged his existence? 

Bandit sat in his seat lazily, arm draped over the back of his chair to stare at his Korean colleague. Blitz, who sat opposite of him, blushed and looked quite annoyed. His mouth was open to make a remark, but he was too baffled by what Bandit said. 

“Watch it, or I might slap it.” He winked, flustering Vigil immensely. 

“Bandit, you...” Blitz breathed angrily, like a furious dragon. 

“What?” Bandit smirked, quasi innocently. 

Vigil's cheeks were heating up. Today was the first day he was wearing his tight jeans and the leather jacket, and already he was getting way more attention than he was comfortable with. The girls gave him loads of compliments, giggling as they did. He also saw the odd male operator staring... Bandit even wanted to _smack_ his ass... 

But he hadn’t seen Mute yet, nor had he seen Blackbeard... Not that that mattered... He wore this hoping he would impress the Brit, not the American. He ate his breakfast on his own, comfortable and quiet. From the corner of his eyes he had seen Mute enter with the other SAS guys, and he was getting nervous when he thought he would have to walk past them on his way out. What would they say? What would Mute do? Of course Mute thought he wore this for Blackbeard, so maybe he wouldn't even look... That thought disappointed Vigil a lot. 

The jeans were pretty uncomfortable. Everything was squeezed; his thighs, his butt, his crotch... Not a single part of his form was hidden. The dark blue trousers licked his body and wrapped around him tightly, making him feel like he wasn't wearing any trousers at all. He panicked slightly when he thought about getting a boner in these _things_ … They wouldn't conceal anything. He'd just have to keep his head cool. Not think about anything that could turn him on. How hard could that be? 

Vigil finished his breakfast just as Blackbeard walked in. He had taken the effort to get dressed today - _thank God_ \- and Vigil figured it was high time to walk past him. And Mute, of course. He walked around the tables to put away his tray and made sure to walk past the SAS table obviously. Then came the next part: walk past Blackbeard. The American smiled when Vigil walked up to him. 

"Looking great there, Vigil." Blackbeard laughed and winked while he slyly looked over Vigil's shoulder, probably at the SAS table. Great. 

"Thanks." Vigil had to force his answer out, trying to make it sound like he was actually happy to be wearing these trousers. He hated them. "Doing anything later?" 

"Was planning to go to the gym. You?" Blackbeard answered. 

"Oh, I might just head over there too later." Vigil quickly said, remembering how Mute had promised he would join him. 

"Awesome! I'll see you there, then." Blackbeard smiled and winked once more, obviously hinting at Mute. Vigil could only just keep himself from rolling his eyes. This was idiotic. 

Blackbeard walked into the canteen and Vigil turned around to say bye to his friend, and to peek at Mute. See if he had noticed his tight jeans. 

He had. 

Oh, he had. 

The SAS operators were all turned around in their seats or leaning over the table to look at him. In his tight jeans. Sledge was grinning creepily, Thatcher was cocking an eyebrow, Smoke was smirking and Mute... His mouth was opened slightly as he stared, the expression on his face somehow shocked. Vigil wasn't sure if it was a trick of the lights, but he could have sworn the Brit was blushing slightly. However, the expression only lasted a second. As soon as Mute realised Vigil was staring back at him, he gave him a cheeky smile, a thumbs up and a wink. 

Vigil smiled back weakly and made his way out of the canteen quickly. 

He now had two guys winking at him and encouraging him to confess his love, but both thought he was in love with the other. This was a disaster, Vigil despaired. If only he had fixed this misunderstanding with Mute immediately, he wouldn't be knee-deep in this shit right now. Vigil didn't know how much longer he could hold up this lie. 

 

\-- 

"Great work on those clothes man, did you see how Blackbeard winked at you?" Mute chuckled as he approached Vigil in the dressing room. Vigil had already gotten changed and had been waiting for the Brit. Mute had texted him to say he would come along if he was to join Blackbeard in the gym. "Sorry I'm late by the way, got caught up in something..." 

"It's okay." Vigil smiled, already happy Mute showed up to work out with him. As if he gave a fuck if Blackbeard was there or not; this was a chance he'd never get again. 

Then Mute started undressing. Vigil gripped the bench he was sitting on tightly, knuckles white and forced himself to stare at the tiled floor. He figured it would be rude to stare, watch his teammate undress. Even though he really wanted to look... He bit his lip as he saw how Mute stood next to him in his boxers out of the corner of his eye. The Brit grabbed his sports clothes out of his locker and started dressing again, and all the while Vigil fought the desire to watch. He had to think of something, something to say, because he was feeling extremely nervous and there was probably a huge blush on his cheeks. 

"So do you think they looked good?" Vigil asked, trying to sound nonchalant. 

"Hmm?" Mute responded, his mind miles away apparently. 

"The jeans, and the... jacket. What did you think?" Vigil clarified, feeling a little uncomfortable. 

"Oh... I mean, I think Blackbeard totally loved it." Mute said absent-mindedly, before he added. "You looked great in them, anyway." 

Vigil looked up at Mute to find him fully dressed and smiling reassuringly. The possibility of his words meaning any more than just 'you looked great in them' were absolutely zero when Vigil looked at his friendly face. Mute meant to give him confidence and get him into a relationship with Blackbeard. Nothing else. 

"You're blushing already." Mute then chuckled. "Already nervous about facing him? Don't worry, I'll be here. Let's go?" Mute asked, pointing over his shoulder in the general direction of the gym with his thumb. Vigil simply nodded and followed the Brit. 

He felt very exposed, walking around in the gym in his t-shirt and shorts at a peak hour of the day. He panicked slightly when he felt the desire to hide himself, to run off and conceal himself, but he followed Mute bravely. He definitely preferred the gym when it was quiet, but if he wanted to spend time with Mute, he'd have to endure this. 

Half the base was working out right at that moment it seemed, but Blackbeard wasn't around. Vigil was glad he wasn't, because Mute suggested to get working on some of the instruments the gym offered while they waited. 

It was the best time he had had in a while. To be able to be around the one he crushed on so badly, to work together, help each other, just be in his presence; it was perfect to Vigil. Mute seemed to enjoy it as well; he was gentle and encouraging, yet oddly quiet. He was more observing now, supporting Vigil with a small smile. Vigil figured the change in the Brit took place because he was surrounded by people, since Mute wasn't really a very talkative person either. 

Vigil would have liked this moment to last for hours, but unfortunately Blackbeard had to appear and ruin it all. Of course Vigil didn't hate him, nor did he mind he was there; but it meant his short time with Mute was over. 

Mute looked up from where he was holding Vigil's feet as the Korean man performed some crunches. Vigil had closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at Mute's face every time he got up – he loved his face, it just didn't improve his performance. The blush on his cheeks could also be easily blamed on the workout. Piece of cake. 

"Hey, he's here." Mute suddenly hissed, nudging Vigil. 

Vigil looked up and together they watched Blackbeard enter the gym. He was definitely a popular guy, everybody greeted him cheerfully and he never failed to smile at everyone around him. 

"Well, let's go." Mute said as he slowly got up. He helped Vigil up too and together they walked over to Blackbeard, who had just stepped onto the wrestling mat. 

"Ah, here you are!" Blackbeard said cheerfully as he noticed his friend coming towards him. His eyes darted to Mute, who walked next to him, and back at Vigil, and he wiggled his eyebrows. "Having a good time?" 

_'I was, before you showed up.'_ Vigil thought, but didn't say. Instead, he smiled: "You got some time?" 

"Sure, come on." Blackbeard said as he invitingly took a step back on the mats so that Vigil could get on as well. He took some distance from Mute before he turned to Vigil. 

"Working out together? Nice. You sure you want to spend your time with me instead of him?" Blackbeard asked quietly. 

"Well..." Vigil sighed. 

"I have an idea to impress him. You should totally take off your shirt while we wrestle. Flex those muscles." Blackbeard grinned. 

Vigil's eyebrows knitted together. "Are you sure?" 

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll stay to watch if you do." Blackbeard winked. "Great idea about those clothes by the way. Did you see the way he stared at you?" 

"He... didn't?" Vigil stammered. 

"Sure as hell he did." Blackbeard grinned. "C'mon, let's get started. Take off that shirt." 

Slightly, confused, Vigil did as he was asked. Mute hadn’t really been staring, had he? He glanced over at the Brit, who was standing near the mats and was watching interestedly. Mute nodded to encourage him, and Vigil smiled back faintly. He then turned back to face Blackbeard, and pulled his t-shirt over his head. Blackbeard smirked. 

Vigil wasn't the biggest guy; hell, the guy he crushed on was bigger than he was. But his muscles were strong in all the right places, and Vigil was pretty proud of his body. His skin, darker than Mute's, accented his features and curves well. But he didn't dare look at Mute to see his reaction. Instead, he focused his attention on the American in front of him, and started their practise fight. 

They started circling each other first. Vigil heard how people started to come over to the mats, interested to see if the big American would beat the smaller Korean. They cheered Blackbeard on and made fun of him, but Vigil didn't let it get him down. He was used to disappointment, he was used to fighting for his place in life. He would show them. But Blackbeard wouldn't let him get away with it so easily. 

Surroundings completely forgotten, they darted head-on into the fight. Vigil felt how his tired, yet warmed-up body was able to keep up with Blackbeard's attacks; dodging and dealing out punches of his own. Their fight was tense; they couldn't afford to lose concentration even for a split second, because the other would immediately get the upper hand. Blackbeard was taller, but Vigil was heavier. He was able to land punches that left marks on Blackbeard's body; he was not at all inferior to the larger American. 

The fight was exhausting; and Vigil found he often tried to get some distance in order to rest for a moment. He grunted every time Blackbeard's fist connected with his body, panted as he was getting out of breath, and felt the sweat on his back. Blackbeard wasn't doing much better either. He looked tired, and as if he had severely underestimated Vigil's skills. Only when neither man was able to go on any longer, did they call it a day. 

Vigil turned around, exhausted, ready to head over to the dressing rooms for a nice cold shower. They must have been wrestling for half an hour; some people had left and to his surprise he found that several people had stayed to watch the whole fight. Among which was Mute. 

The Brit stood to the side, his arms folded in front of his chest and his eyes watching the crowd like a hawk. His mouth was a thin line before his gaze returned to Vigil. His expression softened somewhat while he waited for the Korean man to make his way over to him. 

"How did I do?" Vigil panted. 

"Great, if I can believe the others here..." Mute responded moodily. Vigil didn't understand. "Think you got yourself some fans." 

Vigil looked over at the others and saw how they beamed at him, obviously taken aback by his power. Vigil was reminded why he never worked out while the others were there. They had all suddenly realised that their Korean colleague was a capable fighter; much more than just the quiet man they saw sitting in the workshop. 

When Vigil turned back to Mute, he realised the other man was gone. Looking around, he noticed him walking over to the showers. Not waiting for Blackbeard or the others to come over to him to congratulate him on such a formidable fight, Vigil followed Mute. 

He caught up with him when he was back in the dressing room. Mute had already taken off his shirt when Vigil barged in. 

"Mute!" He exclaimed, louder and more worried than he should have been. "Is something wrong?" 

The doors fell closed behind him. Mute stopped in his tracks. The Brit stood in the middle of the dressing room, shirt in his hand as he sighed. He slumped down on the bench and rubbed his face with his hands, temporarily hiding it from Vigil. 

"Did I do something wrong?" Vigil asked softly. He didn't understand why Mute had suddenly gone back to being annoyed with him. 

"No, no..." Mute answered after a while, his voice dragging as if he was just as exhausted as Vigil. "You... You did great man, that's all. You did great." Mute looked up again, at Vigil. "I think Blackbeard was seriously impressed as well, and... ah fuck, I hope you'll be happy." 

Vigil was speechless. He just stared at Mute, his mouth hanging open slightly. ...What? 

"I'm going for a shower... Fuck." Mute cursed to himself as if Vigil wasn't even there. He got up lazily and left Vigil alone. The Korean watched him go, dumbfounded. 

Was Mute... Jealous?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy c:

That night, Vigil sat in the communal living room with Blackbeard. There were several other operators there, but they weren't paying attention to the two friends. Vigil and Blackbeard were just talking casually, and Vigil didn't feel bad about it because Mute wasn't around. He didn't need to act like he was madly in love with the American. Vigil was glad, because he was getting quite sick of it. He wanted Mute, and no one else. But he hadn't seen the Brit all afternoon, not even at dinner. He feared he had gone back to disliking him now that he was 'together' with Blackbeard. It saddened Vigil more than he could say. 

"So what did Mute think of our fight earlier, hmm?" Blackbeard giggled, nudging Vigil with his elbow. 

"I don't know..." Vigil sighed. 

Blackbeard turned more serious. "He stormed off afterwards, but I saw you follow him. What did he say? I thought he wanted some private time with you?" 

_If only he did..._ Vigil thought sadly. "He was pretty... distant. I don't know what happened." 

"Aww man, I could have sworn I saw him gazing at you when you took off your shirt. His face, he looked like he entered a strip club for the first time in his life." Blackbeard giggled at his own joke, but when Vigil remained downcast, he added: "Maybe he was just tired?" 

"No, I fucked it all up..." Vigil sighed. "It's all my fault." He was just about to confess everything to Blackbeard, when Mute entered the living room with the other SAS guys. 

Speak of the devil... 

His dark eyes immediately found Vigil, sitting on the sofa with Blackbeard in a far-away corner of the room. His face turned sour before he forced out a weak smile and he immediately looked away again. He and the other guys went over and got themselves something to drink. 

Blackbeard had seen the glare too. "Wow, looks like you have pissed him off again." 

"I don't get it. I haven't done anything." Vigil exclaimed softly, seeing his chances to get together with the Brit shatter to pieces. 

"Maybe I should have a talk with him..." Blackbeard said, but Vigil immediately interrupted him. 

"No you're not. Don't. Please don't." Vigil begged. If Blackbeard and Mute were to talk, his dirty little lie would definitely come to light and then he would lose Mute forever. He knew Blackbeard meant well, but he couldn't afford Mute finding out he had been lied to. It would make him even angrier. 

… Or maybe Mute already knew, and that's why he was so pissed off? Shit. 

"Hey," 

Vigil's train of thought was interrupted by a deep male voice. He looked up to see Sledge and Smoke approaching him, charming smiles on their faces. He wanted to cock an eyebrow, but he figured that would be impolite. The two SAS guys sat down on the sofa, next to Blackbeard and Vigil. The Korean was disappointed to see Mute wasn't joining them, but rather stayed talking to the old man Thatcher. 

"Heard you two did a pretty sick practise fight today." Sledge said as he raised his glass in a way of cheers and he and Smoke drank, even though Blackbeard and Vigil didn't have any drinks. Blackbeard raised his eyebrows and shrugged at Vigil while the two SAS operators were busy chugging their drinks. 

"It was nothing special." Blackbeard said evenly. 

"For you, maybe. Didn't know Korean boy here could move so well." Smoke pointed at Vigil, glass in his hand. 

"Well, you're never around when I do, are you?" Vigil retorted. What did these two want now? 

"No, and we should be. Wish I could've seen it." Sledge grinned unpleasantly. 

"Maybe you could fight us some time, huh?" Smoke winked. 

"When you go to the gym; when there's no one around..." Sledge threw a very meaningful look at Smoke. 

"Uh... Okay?" Vigil said, not noticing how the two were flirting with him and trying to lure him into having sex with them. 

Blackbeard's phone rang. The conversation halted then, Blackbeard looked at the screen and apologised saying he really had to answer this one. Vigil watched him go; and as he went, the atmosphere around him grew heavier. He saw how Smoke and Sledge, now sitting on either side of him, shuffled a little closer. The smirk playing on their lips made Vigil shiver for some reason. He looked back to see Blackbeard leaving the room, but not before his eyes crossed Mute's once again. 

His crush was still talking to Thatcher, but he wasn't really paying much attention to the old man. His eyes were on Vigil, on the sofa with Smoke and Sledge. He looked suspicious, his expression thunderous. 

"You looked great in those clothes by the way." Smoke breathed. 

"They really... complimented your forms." Sledge added. 

Vigil jumped up slightly when he realised they had surrounded him now, their legs touching his. He anxiously watched as Smoke was nearly on his lap already and tensed when Sledge's arm lay around his shoulders, pulling him closer, possessive and claiming. 

"Think you could wear those clothes for us again some time? Say, in my bedroom?" Smoke's voice was very husky, very attractive. 

"Just looking for some fun, nothing more." Sledge traced his strong fingers over Vigil's neck, sending shivers over his whole body. 

"W-what?" Vigil stammered. His whole body was tense and he felt highly uncomfortable, but their voices were so charming, the closeness of their bodies so welcome somehow... Vigil craved physical contact. 

But not from these two. 

He craved the touch of another man. A man that was marching towards them that very moment. His eyes were spitting fire; like a volcano. Vigil had rarely seen him so angry before – not even with him. 

"What are you two _pisspots_ doing?" Mute hissed furiously. 

Vigil saw how Sledge quickly retreated the hand that had been on the inside of his thigh – he didn't even know it had been there. Smoke quickly got his leg off Vigil's lap. They were startled by the hostility in Mute's voice. 

"Mark- We're just seeing if Vigil is up for some action..." Smoke said nervously. 

"Walking around showing off such a fine arse, how can we not?" Sledge shrugged dismissively. Smoke threw him a warning look. 

"Get your hands off him. He's taken." Mute bit. Vigil's heart skipped a beat. Was Mute saving him, saying he was his? 

Smoke and Sledge left reluctantly, complaining about Mute's intrusion. Vigil watched them go, quite shocked by the fact they had meant to have sex with him. Nobody ever noticed him before, and now he had been wearing some tight clothes, everybody wanted him? Vigil returned his eyes to Mute hopefully. 

-Only to see that the Brit had shed his aggressiveness. It was replaced by a sombre, dark look with that same weak smile as before. 

"Guess you better get back to Blackbeard, Vigil." 

That was all he said before he returned to Thatcher. He had spoken Blackbeard's name mockingly. Vigil was left speechless, alone on the sofa, wanting Mute to come back as his heart ached. 

 

\-- 

The days continued on like this. For weeks on end. Vigil was left frustrated, both emotionally and sexually. Little did he know Mute felt the exact same. 

But all contact Vigil had with Mute were empty stares and empty words, encouraging him to take more steps to win Blackbeard's heart. Mute still gave Vigil advice for Blackbeard, still supported him, but it wasn't like before anymore. Mute was distant now, his words sounded meaningless and he smiled like he meant it, but Vigil could see he didn't. He saw how Mute glared at him whenever he was in the American's presence. Vigil couldn't decipher what Mute’s facial expressions meant. He now stuck to Blackbeard, not knowing that was exactly what caused the stares. He continued following Mute's advice and wore his tight jeans and leather jacket, showing off his strength in the gym whenever Mute was around, but talking to him on a level other than his 'wingman' was impossible. It was as if they had become magnets with the same poles: they couldn't get close to each other. 

"How's it going?" 

It was another one of those moments. Mute and Vigil passed by each other in the corridors and Mute apparently felt it was rude not to ask. Vigil could see he felt extremely uncomfortable asking the question. But as his friend supporting him, he asked it anyway. 

"I'm fine, you?" 

"Fine too." 

That's how their conversations went nowadays. After these formalities, they would usually just stare at the ground for another few seconds before they said they would catch up again 'soon' before they would go their own ways again, never really catching up. Vigil was extremely sad their friendship had deteriorated so much, especially because the cause was unclear to him. 

He had endured having Mute as his wingman rather than his boyfriend for more than a month now, and he was getting quite sick of it. He wanted to be together with his crush, do all the things he’d dreamed of. But Mute was distant. 

Although apparently, today Mute felt like talking a bit more. 

"And Blackbeard?" 

Vigil just shrugged. How was he supposed to know how Blackbeard was doing? As if he cared. 

“You’re still not together?” Mute asked. Vigil just shook his head. “Ah.” 

Then Vigil remembered he would go down the range with Blackbeard later that day, and he figured it might be nice to spend some time with both his friends. Maybe Mute would act differently when it wasn't just the two of them. "Going to the range with him later today. Want to come?" 

Mute's face cleared up momentarily before he shrugged and bluntly answered: "Sure." 

"See you later, then." Vigil did his best to smile at the Brit in front of him, still feeling nervous to look him directly in the face. Mute just nodded before both men went their own way again. Maybe this could clear things up a bit again between them... 

 

\-- 

And Vigil had been right. That afternoon, he found out that Mute indeed acted differently when it wasn't just them. 

But not in a good way. 

"Missed." Mute said bluntly. 

Blackbeard looked up from his rifle, and it looked like it took him a great effort not to roll his eyes and give the Brit a death glare. He simply stared down the range, probably mentally counting to ten in order to let his anger subside. Vigil held his breath as he felt the tension rise between his teammates. 

"Are you going to hit anything today? You might as well give me that gun, so I can show Vigil how it's done." Mute folded his arms in front of his chest and looked at Blackbeard daringly. 

"Alright, you do it. Be prepared to watch him fail as well, Vigil." Blackbeard said sourly as he handed the rifle to Mute. The Brit wore a cheeky grin, his eyes sweeping past Blackbeard's annoyed face to gaze at Vigil for a moment. The Korean man blushed as Mute's dark, playful eyes met his. He was so attractive when he was behaving so arrogant like this... 

It was as if he was around a completely different Mute. His sullen, downcast mood had been replaced by a cocky, overconfident attitude. This was the Mute Vigil had fallen in love with. He had been judging Blackbeard ever since they had set off together towards the shooting range, belittling him and making nasty remarks on anything he could think of, from the American's accent – which to a Brit like him was unacceptable – to his abilities. And all the while Vigil had giggled softly, looking up at the smug Brit in awe. Something Mute _loved_ \- so he continued – and something Blackbeard _hated_. More than once the American shot him an angry look, telling him this wasn't funny _at all_. 

Mute took aim. Blackbeard looked down the range. Vigil eyed the Brit; his feet apart and planted in the ground firmly, his strong body holding the rifle to his shoulder, his hands around the weapon and his eye looking down the scope in perfect concentration. Mute was much larger than him, and as always Vigil was wondering what it would be like to be in his arms. He would love to sit on him. 

"Hah. Missed!" Blackbeard shouted. 

Vigil started as he was so violently pulled from his own thoughts, and he looked down the range hastily. Not that there was anything to see. 

"Hand me that rifle back. You're clearly being a bad example to Vigil here." Blackbeard sniggered. 

"No! What have you done to the scope, you moron?" Mute exclaimed as he looked the rifle over and started playing with the knobs. 

"Ah- Hahaha..." Blackbeard laughed nervously. 

"Played with the adjustments, have you? So American of you, to meddle with the scope to make me look bad. Sad it didn't work, huh?" Mute grinned and started zeroing the scope. 

Vigil threw Blackbeard a look. The American shrugged and smiled apologetically. Mute had the scope back in order in no time, and soon stood aiming down the range again. Instead of staring at his body again, Vigil figured it might be wise to watch Mute hit the target now. And sure enough, Mute hit the target bullseye. 

"What..." Blackbeard started as soon as Mute hit the target spot-on. 

"Hah!" Mute laughed before he turned to Vigil. "See Vigil, I'm much better." 

The Korean man blushed heavily at that, but it went unnoticed as Blackbeard started arguing with the Brit. Blackbeard insisted that Mute had cheated and demanded to try and take a shot at the target as well. Vigil didn't even pay attention anymore. He was back at the beginning: being madly in love with Mute and not being able to register a single word he said. 

As a frustrated Blackbeard was taking several shots at the target to show that he actually _could_ hit it, Mute retreated back to where Vigil stood watching. For a while they simply stood next to each other, watching Blackbeard spray fire on the target as if he meant to blow it away. Then Mute got closer to Vigil so they stood shoulder to shoulder and turned his head towards the Korean man slightly. 

"I did way better though." Mute whispered so that Blackbeard wouldn't hear and get even angrier. 

"I know." Vigil giggled nervously. 

Mute was taken aback for a moment, not expecting Vigil to be on his side because he was 'in love' with Blackbeard. "So... How are you two doing? I'm sorry for making fun of him." Mute then said, sounding a lot less cheerful than he had in the past hour. 

Vigil shrugged. "Nothing much." 

"Isn't my advice helping at all?" Mute seemed a bit disappointed before he uneasily added: "I mean, if I were him, I'd be on my knees for you by now." 

Vigil nearly swallowed his own tongue as he hastily asked: "Really?" 

Mute chuckled foolishly as a way of answering, which wasn't really an answer at all. 

"See? I can hit it just fine." Blackbeard fumed as he turned around with the rifle in his hand, apparently having emptied his entire magazine on the target. Vigil cursed him for interrupting his personal conversation with Mute. 

"Yeah, just needed me to show you how to do it, eh Blackbeard?" Mute chuckled and winked at the American. 

Blackbeard clenched his jaw and looked at Mute as if he could kill him right then and there, but for Vigil's sake he didn't. This was all about his friend getting together with his crush. His annoying, arrogant _ass_ of a crush. 

"So, what now?" Mute grinned, not even close to quitting hanging out with the two friends and making fun of Blackbeard in front of Vigil. 

"Now nothing. I'm fucking out of here." Blackbeard spit as he slammed the rifle down on the table. He turned around and pointed his index finger at Mute and Vigil. "And you two finally get a room already, fucking hell." With that, the American strode off towards the barracks. Vigil watched him go with bated breath. He couldn't believe he had just said that. He turned to look at Mute, who looked at him daringly. 

"I don't like him." 

Vigil melted under this gaze, and almost didn't catch his words again. "W-what?" He asked again. "Who?" 

"'Your' Blackbeard. He's an idiot. Why are you chasing him? I know I'm supposed to help you and all, but... I think there’s better candidates." Mute grinned. 

"I'm not chasing him..." Vigil blurted out, hating that Mute thought he was in love with the American instead of himself. 

Mute laughed. "What have we been doing for the past months, then? What were the tight jeans for, the leather? The showing off at the gym, taking your shirt off and stuff... You wanted to get Blackbeard with that, right?" 

"No, no..." Vigil shook his head, suddenly panicking as the truth was starting to surface. He figured he might as well tell Mute now. He probably wouldn’t get another chance after this. Nothing to lose, right? "I- I wanted to get you..." 

"Me?" Mute's eyes widened, a slight, unbelieving smile playing on his lips. "I thought... But you said... It was Blackbeard, right?" 

"I never said that, you assumed it. But uh... Yeah it was- it was you all along." Vigil looked anywhere but at Mute's handsome face as he said this. He couldn't look him dead in the face while he told him he loved him. This talk was even more uncomfortable than the one where he had initially confessed to Mute. 

"Why didn't you say I misunderstood? God..." Mute rubbed his face, feeling pretty much like an idiot. 

"I- I hope this won't change anything between us... I hope we can still be friends, if that doesn't make you feel uncomfortable." By the end of the sentence, Vigil's voice was nearly a whisper. The confession was out of the way, but somehow it made him feel sad. To think he'd lose Mute as a friend, at this base where he had none apart from Blackbeard, broke his heart more than Mute turning him down. 

"Are you insane? Of course this will change everything between us." Mute exclaimed. 

"I understand." Vigil wished he could sink right through the concrete floor right now. All was lost. If Mute didn’t love him back, what was the use? 

Then he was suddenly violently pushed into the wall of the structure that covered this part of the range. His head slammed against the cool surface, blinding him momentarily before he realised he was staring straight into Mute's face. The Brit's slender hands pinned him against the wall and his body towered over the Korean's, much taller and larger. 

Was this punishment? Was this what they had warned him about, back in his home country? Where homosexuality was sin? Wasn't the West any different as he had thought? Was he not accepted? 

Mute's expression was unreadable. There was a smirk on his face and a light in his eyes that could both be good and bad news. Would he really beat him up? Was Mute no different from all the others who used to bully him? Had he taken his wall down for the man that would stab him in the back in the end? Had it all been for nothing? 

A trembling hand lay cool against his cheek. It hadn't been a hit, he hadn't been beaten up. The gesture was gentle, smooth. The hand turned his head to the side, so that Vigil couldn't look at Mute anymore. Every muscle in the Korean's body was tense, his blood pumping through his heart and veins at a quick pace. Fear of the unknown, fear of himself and of others was what was coursing through Vigil's body right now. He wasn't sure if he should fight back - if he _could_ even fight the larger operator – or trust him not to hurt him. 

A hot breeze on his neck – no, it couldn't be a breeze. It was a hot Summer day; there was no wind. It had to be... Mute's breath. Vigil's heart leapt and its pumping doubled when he realised this. He opened and closed his eyes a few times to make sure this was real. It felt like his heart was going to jump right out of his chest. He now felt the heat radiating off Mute's body, touching and licking his skin as if he had a fever. Vigil shuddered when he felt Mute's lips ghost over the vulnerable skin of his neck. 

Mute chuckled. "Why didn't you say so, Vigil? Why didn't you say it was me?" 

His voice was low and husky as Vigil felt his soft lips drag over his skin. This was everything he had ever wanted and more, and he found he couldn't give Mute a proper answer so he just grunted. Mute's body pressed against his, one of his hands still forcing Vigil's head to the side and the other on his shoulder, keeping him pinned against the wall. For an operator much younger than him, Vigil wondered where Mute had learned all this. Not that he was complaining. 

"In those jeans, and the jacket... Why had you been hiding those curves for so long? You sure did catch my eye then..." Mute continued, his hand tracing down from his shoulder to Vigil's hip, feeling, touching... "But I knew you were for Blackbeard, so I kept my distance..." 

Mute now pressed his lips against Vigil's hot skin and tasted it; kissing, licking, sucking. Vigil let out a throaty moan he wasn't able to keep in, and he felt Mute smirking against his neck. The Brit marked him possessively, and all the while he caressed Vigil's buttocks with one hand. Vigil's heart was racing by now, unable to keep up with his emotions. He felt vulnerable to Mute, but at the same time he found he low-key loved being at his mercy. 

"But then you go ahead and show off like that with Blackbeard, taking off your shirt and all... How was I not to get jealous?" Mute went on, squeezing Vigil's butt once. "I wanted you for myself. But that didn't seem right at first." A second squeeze. "Then I realised what a loser Blackbeard was, and I figured you could do better." A third squeeze. "You deserved better." A fourth squeeze. "You deserved me." 

Vigil groaned and bucked his hips into Mute's, looking for friction for his poor, trapped boner. The Brit was so seductive, so flirtatious, that Vigil thought he could cum simply by the sound of his voice and the touch of his lips and hand on his ass. Yet he secretly hoped there would be more than that. Oh, how he had dreamed about Mute making him his... 

"I'm better than Blackbeard." Mute growled, grazing his teeth over Vigil's throat and now grinding his crotch against Vigil's as the smaller man underneath him had demanded it. "What do you think?" 

"I..." Vigil started, out of breath already. "I want you. Only you. I never wanted Blackbeard." Feeling Mute grind against him was driving him crazy. He had never been this close with anyone, but it made him feel so flustered yet confident. And he could feel Mute was just as excited as he was. To think the man above him, the one he had always admired and had always crushed on, ever since he joined team Rainbow – to think that that man was seducing him now, and even getting a _boner_ because of him... It was surreal to Vigil. 

"Good boy." Mute grinned and Vigil whimpered at his voice. He continued touching Vigil greedily for a while before he pulled away slightly. "Want to go to my room?" 

Vigil's mouth was as dry as the Sahara Desert when Mute asked that question. Of course he wanted that, but his head was spinning because everything was suddenly going so fast. Not that Mute waited for an answer. He smirked, grabbed Vigil's wrist and pulled him along, out of the range and towards the barracks. Vigil followed him, and he felt like he was floating.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some shameless sex. Please enjoy (x

"Out." Mute said as soon as they reached the small SAS living room. Smoke and Sledge looked up from where they were sitting on the old sofa, confused at the sudden order. Their eyes flashed from Mute to Vigil, and they smirked.

"I thought you said you weren't interested, Mark?" Sledge teased, laughing and nudging Smoke.

"Wasn't he Blackbeard's?" Smoke wiggled his eyebrows at the naughty younger operator.

"He isn't getting it on with no one else but me." Mute growled, shielding Vigil from harm with his arm as if Smoke and Sledge would just jump him. Although honestly, they would.

"Ah, and we weren't allowed to touch him?" Sledge crossed his arms in front of his chest as he grinned at the couple in front of him. It was an interesting sight: the tall, British operator possessively shielding the flustered, smaller Korean man against them.

"You were just keeping his fine ass to yourself." Smoke pouted, disappointed that Mute had prevented the threesome he and Sledge had wanted.

“Watch it, Vigil. Still waters run deep.” Sledge wiggled his eyebrows at the flustered Korean man, who said nothing and just waited until this was all over. Mute blushed a little. He knew what Sledge was referring to. Lately he had been joining Smoke and Sledge from time to time. Of course, everybody needed their release, and the constant sounds of his two teammates banging in the middle of the night kept him awake and aroused. Thatcher slept like as though he were dead, so he never lectured them about their activities. But Mute was tired of always playing bottom in their games. He wanted to try some things of his own, make Vigil his in a way only he could.

And these two weren’t going to ruin that right now.

"I said out, or you're going to regret it." Mute roared, pointing at the door.

"Can't we join?" Smoke smirked, biting his lip.

Mute groaned in annoyance, but he was too impatient to deal with these two. He ushered Vigil into his room and threw a filthy glare at the two SAS operators on the sofa. He closed the door on them, but he heard Sledge saying 'We'll just have our own fun in here' just in time. He rolled his eyes at the thought of them getting off at their sex sounds, but decided it established his position even more. He wasn't sharing Vigil with no one now. Not since he had found out that Vigil hadn't been interested in Blackbeard all along.

Vigil stood in the middle of the tiny bedroom, looking slightly out of place. Mute would have guessed he was extremely uncomfortable, if it wasn't for the huge blush on his cheeks and his red ears. Testimony of his desires. He looked at the floor, not really daring to look Mute in the face.

Mute took a moment to appreciate Vigil's looks; he loved these rare moments when Vigil wasn't wearing his mask around the base – yes, he even wore it in here if he felt like it, even though his face was everything but ugly. A strong jawline, a hardened face, small nose and dark eyes; Mute had never thought he'd fall for the guy who preferred to hide himself. But the sudden change in their weak friendship, when Mute had started to help him get Blackbeard, along with Vigil's new clothes and new-found confidence combined with the jealousy Mute felt towards Blackbeard helped the Brit see Vigil was boyfriend material.

In fact it was Blackbeard who convinced the smaller male to remove his mask just for this day, but Mute would never know that. Vigil was happy he had discarded it, in the end. Kissing Mute would have been pretty hard if he wore it earlier.

Mute continued to check him out, let his eyes feast on what he first thought was a forbidden fruit. Vigil looked so fine in his form-hugging trousers; it complimented his features _so_ well and the leather jacket fit perfectly to this new look. He was certainly eye candy, even if he didn't realise it himself. Mute wondered how flexible he was after watching him fight Blackbeard in the gym. The way the Korean man had moved and had shown off was something the Brit couldn’t forget so easily. Mute wasn't lying if he said he had been having a hard time keeping his thoughts straight in order to help Vigil get together with Blackbeard. Luckily it wasn't necessary to keep his hands to himself anymore...

With two steps he had closed the distance between their bodies. Vigil tensed when he grabbed him tenderly and held the back of his head. Their faces were inches apart now; and Vigil had no chance of avoiding his gaze. He looked at the Brit, both wanting to close that last gap between their lips and wanting to pull away, uncomfortable and insecure as he was.

"Will- will they stay there?" Vigil asked, his voice shaking as he worried about making any noises when Mute would finally move his body against his own. He didn't want Smoke and Sledge to hear.

"Yes, and they will hear how I make you mine." Mute said before he crashed his lips onto Vigil's, giving the Korean man only seconds to get used to the feeling before he deepened it.

Vigil groaned against his lips involuntarily; the boner that had quietened down in the past few minutes immediately alert again. His eyes were wide open – he forgot to close them as Mute attacked his lips with his own. The way Mute kissed him overwhelmed him, and by the time his brains had registered the exact pace of Mute's lips, the Brit had broken the kiss again.

Mute slammed both his hands on Vigil's ass, making the Korean jump into him in surprise. The Brit smirked. "I'm so selfish. I'm sorry." He squeezed Vigil's flesh as he captured his lips once again. They made out for what seemed like hours, grinding into each other lustfully. Vigil was making feeble attempts to keep up with Mute's pace, but it was clear the Brit was way more experienced and comfortable with this.

On one side, Vigil still felt he was letting family and country down for giving in to his homosexual feelings. It had been so imprinted into him that it was wrong and sin, that he felt guilty for allowing himself this happiness and pleasure. The fact that Mute wasn't holding back and wouldn't stop any time soon, was what kept Vigil from cowering down. If Mute had shown any sign of doubt, Vigil might have chickened out.

On the other side, he didn't want to chicken out at all right now. This was what he had been wanting for so long, had sinfully been fantasising about. He wanted to do all those things he had dreamed about. He was eager.

Then Mute started pushing the smaller man backwards, guiding him towards his bed with care. Vigil felt his legs hit the low bed and with one last soft push, he fell down onto it. Now Mute towered over him, looking down at him with an affectionate smirk. Vigil crawled further onto the bed to make space for Mute, who didn't need to think twice. He climbed onto the bed after Vigil, bending over him; he placed both his hands on either side of the Korean man's head, above his shoulders and sat down gently on his crotch.

"C'mon Vigil, don't hold back. Do everything that comes into your head. Show me how much you love me." Mute teased and started rubbing his own crotch over Vigil's. He giggled when he looked down at his lover, so overwhelmed and flustered. But as always, Vigil listened to his advice. The Korean man placed his trembling hands on Mute's hips. His hands were stiff and cold, all his blood having drained to his face and down to his raging boner.

He held Mute's rolling hips clumsily as he stuttered: "M-Mute, please..." and tugged at the hem of his trousers.

"Do it, then." Mute breathed and watched Vigil's nervous fingers working on the fly of his trousers. It took the Korean a few seconds to undo Mute's trousers before he pulled them down so they pooled at his knees. Vigil unconsciously licked his lips at the sight of Mute's manhood. He had dreamed of this. Knew exactly what to do, even though he had no experience. Imagined this in his head a million times.

Punished himself for those thoughts as well.

Vigil sat up and reached for Mute's dick, yet didn't touch it. He saw how it twitched at the near-contact and he felt Mute's eyes burning on him; anticipating and waiting patiently. But he hadn't expected Vigil to do what he did.

Holding Mute's dick at the base, Vigil suddenly bent down and took the whole shaft in his mouth. Mute gasped and groaned in surprise, immediately grabbing the back of Vigil's head for support. His thumb caressed his scalp gently and encouragingly as Vigil sucked his dick. Vigil's mouth was soft and warm, enclosing his cock with wetness. He moved his thin lips up and down Mute's shaft painfully slow, but he sucked at a steady pace which had Mute letting out a long, wanton moan. His eyes rolled into the back of his head; it should be illegal to be this naturally good at blowjobs.

"So willing to please, huh?" Mute panted, looking down at the Korean trying to fit all of his cock into his mouth like the good boy he was. "But I'm going to cum soon if you keep going like this..." The Brit placed two fingers under Vigil's chin to make the Korean operator look up at him. Vigil blushed heavily, his big dark eyes looking up at his crush innocently.

He released Mute's dick with both his hand and mouth, a trail of saliva and precum still connecting his bottom lip with the tip of Mute's cock. The sight made the SAS operator groan, and he had to force himself not to grab his dick and pump it to paint Vigil's heavenly face with his cum. Fucking hell, how had he never considered Vigil as a sex partner before? And something more? Mute grinned.

"Turn around. I want to see it again." The Brit ordered, and Vigil was visibly confused for a moment. Mute gave his ass a small squeeze to remind him, and Vigil immediately obeyed and turned around. He got on all fours, sticking his ass in the air and looking around at Mute, seeking approval.

Mute smirked at him and placed both his hands on Vigil's ass, fitted in those tight trousers. He kneaded them through the fabric, loving how soft and plump they were. He traced a finger between his butt cheeks and let his hand continue down to the front of Vigil's pants, earning a sharp inhale from the man underneath him. Mute's own cock pulsed as his hand found Vigil's, cupping it and rubbing it through his trousers.

Moaning in relief when Mute finally undid his zip and pulled down the suffocating trousers, Vigil shuddered and let out a breathy moan when Mute held his hard-on in his slender hand. Mute moaned against his back appreciatively as he gave Vigil's cock a few strokes, and Vigil immediately rocked his hips into the touch.

But Mute wouldn't let him have it just yet. Instead he focused his attention on the ass that had just been uncovered before him. Once again he placed both his hands on Vigil's cheeks, now watching lustfully as his fingers dug into the darker skin. His dick was leaking precum on his own bed as he squeezed the soft flesh with his hands, and he moaned when he spread the cheeks to reveal Vigil's clenched hole. He could already imagine how tight Vigil would be, and he realised he'd have to hurry up if he didn't want to cum by the mere thought of fucking Vigil.

Vigil's eyes widened in shock when he felt hot air being blown over his ass. Mute wouldn't... Would he? Vigil groaned at the thought; his own fucked-up mind hadn't even imagined that was a possibility. He was already trembling on his legs and arms, his cock painfully erect and staining Mute's mattress with precum. He just wanted Mute inside of him already, wanted the Brit to fuck him into oblivion, but he stayed displaying himself on his hands and knees, letting Mute prepare him and obeying him perfectly.

"Those tight jeans were my best idea ever... Hands down... Such a beautiful ass..." Mute groaned from behind Vigil before he licked Vigil's hole experimentally. Vigil tensed up, letting out a cry in surprise as he bucked his hips away from the strange feeling before pushing them back towards Mute's face, both puzzled by the strange feeling as well as attracted. Mute did it again several times, earning the same response from the smaller man every time before he no longer pulled away and let Mute lick him.

But just as Vigil was getting used to Mute's warm tongue licking his entrance with want, Mute forced his tongue inside of him. Vigil groaned uncomfortably at the strange intrusion, feeling the wet muscle penetrate his hole multiple times. Vigil balled his fists around the sheets of Mute's bed, his knuckles white while he tried to relax himself to accommodate Mute's tongue.

While Vigil did his best not to squirm out of Mute's grasp, so unused to the strange feeling yet low-key loving it, Mute patiently ate his ass out. Vigil panted quickly, sucking in air into his lungs and immediately releasing it as Mute worked his magic on him. He'd always imagined Mute was that quiet guy who was secretly a passionate lover, but this Vigil hadn't expected. It was much more than he expected and he mentally kicked himself for not confessing to the Brit earlier. Although, he probably wouldn't have been ready for all of this before he got to know Mute better over the last few weeks.

Soon Mute's tongue was replaced by a skilled finger, opening him up further. Vigil moaned softly all the while, relaxing so that Mute would have better access. The Brit moaned sweet nothings at him, telling how good he was behaving and how good the treat would be he was about to get. Vigil drank in Mute's horny accent, melting at the low voice. A second finger then joined the first, scissoring his hole gently. Vigil squeezed his eyes shut, taking Mute's fingers as best as he could.

The fingers were removed for a moment while Mute shuffled around behind Vigil. The Brit told him to stay in place, be patient, and Vigil obeyed. Vigil felt like he waited an eternity, the strength in his arms and legs fading. Mute made his whole body feel so tense, he wondered if he had the strength to stay up for the whole duration of their intercourse. But he had to. He had to please Mute. His own dick was throbbing between his legs, neglected and painful.

Something larger pressed against his entrance then. Mute held his hips steady, because Vigil was already grinding against the feeling. Mute chuckled.

"Not too impatient, Chul Kyung, don't want to hurt yourself now, do you?" Mute purred. Vigil loved the way his real name rolled off the Brit's tongue; he had never used it before. The Korean man didn't like using his real name, but in this setting it was more than allowed. Vigil nodded eagerly, waiting for Mute to do the work.

Teasingly slow, Mute started pushing the head of his cock inside. Vigil gasped and moaned, completely overwhelmed by the feeling of being filled. Mute grunted as he pushed himself inside Vigil more and more, until he was in balls deep and could feel the warmth of Vigil's body around his dick. Fuck, he _was_ tight.

Mute bent his body over Vigil's, feeling how hot he was as he set a slow pace. Vigil groaned violently at his first thrusts, protesting against the rough feeling even though he craved it. His hole and walls were spread unnaturally by Mute's size, and it took him a while to get used to the pain that came with the pleasure. But once he was past that point – Mute didn't have to hold back anymore.

Mute slammed his hips into Vigil's backside, being urged on by the delicious sound of flesh slapping against flesh. He pulled Vigil's shirt up so he could place sweet kisses and filthy love bites on his lover's back. His hands roamed on the other side, over Vigil's strong torso and hard abs. Because Vigil was smaller than Mute, he fitted underneath him perfectly and Mute loved how he could bend over him possessively, claiming his body with his own.

The sound of pants and low groans filled Mute's tiny bedroom. To Vigil, it was everything he had fantasised about. Mute being skilled, experienced, and dominating him. His dick, just the right size for Vigil's first time, felt amazing inside him and hit all the right spots that had Vigil curling his toes and moaning his lover's name softly. To Mute, Vigil's ass was tight and soft which stimulated him perfectly. The little noises Vigil made turned him on a lot, the sight below him – Vigil fully enjoying their intercourse – were all confirmation he needed to know he was doing this right.

Mute picked up his pace, forcing more wanton moans out of the smaller man underneath him. Vigil loved the feeling of being pound into, loved that it was _him_ that was driving the Brit crazy like this, but his own erection was starting to get painful. It needed attention. And as if Mute could read his thoughts, his hand slid from one of Vigil's hard nipples down to his crotch. His hand felt around until it curled around his cock, holding it firmly and at an angle. Mute started stroking him in rhythm with his own thrusts, passionately and tenderly. Vigil started fucking into his fist, so eager to chase his own orgasm, that he effectively also started fucking himself on Mute's dick. The Brit groaned at the added force, biting his lip.

Vigil saw stars when Mute slid his thumb over the head from time to time, which felt _so_ good combined with the steady pounding into his ass. He knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer now that Mute was giving him just what he needed, and not much later he coated his own abdomen and Mute's bed with his semen. Mute groaned approvingly, milking his dick until the last drop. Vigil's mouth hung open as he breathed, overwhelmed by his powerful orgasm. His arms had already given out so that he was displaying his ass nicely to Mute, and he could do nothing but bathe in this wonderful feeling until Mute would cum too.

Relentlessly Mute now rammed into Vigil, chasing his own orgasm at free will. He hit the smaller man's prostate multiple times, making him groan out loud lazily as he lay sprawled in front of himself. With one last, powerful thrust, Mute came inside Vigil. He gripped his hips tightly as the orgasm washed over him, blinding him momentarily and sending euphoric sparks up and down his body. It took him a moment or two to regain control over his limbs before he gently pulled out of the Korean man.

Vigil crashed down onto Mute's bed, completely spent. Mute smiled at him and took off his condom before cleaning up the both of them. He then cuddled up to Vigil, holding him in his arms gently and kissing his forehead.

"Okay?" Mute whispered.

Vigil was still blushing when he nodded. He snuggled his nose in the crook of Mute's collarbones and closed his eyes, simply enjoying the other's company. He knew he would be sore and tired later, but for now he felt like he was exactly in the right place. After all those weeks of hanging out with Mute, they were finally together. Vigil had to admit he now felt stupid about not telling Mute about his feelings earlier. But the time they had spent together had been wonderful to him.

If this was sin, then it didn't matter. Because it felt right. Vigil would never regret his feelings, nor what they had done. Because for Mute, he would face hell and fire if that meant he could be together with the man of his dreams.

Mute stroked his back gently and hummed contently. The walls had been torn down, the mask broken. He had gotten himself inside Vigil's heart, at the very core. And all that even though he had initially thought it was Blackbeard Vigil wanted. Such a funny twist of fate. But he was right where he needed and wanted to be. He only hoped Vigil would wear his mask around him less now, because he absolutely adored his handsome face. He'd have to hide that mask, maybe.

The two lovers were just getting comfortable when a loud groan erupted from behind the door. Mute and Vigil looked at each other for a moment, before both laughed softly. Apparently Smoke and Sledge had been able to last longer, but it didn't matter. They were in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank Grunkle for hosting this fic trade event, it's been great and I hope we can do it again! I'd also like to thank Leciel for their great fic they did for me c: And I'd like to thank Betti for the great help! <3
> 
> My inspiration for Vigil's face was the art of this artist [link](https://twitter.com/TB_sojinchoi/status/1010526071240810497?s=09) c:


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